Albert Barnes Commentary Exodus 30:22-33

"Moreover Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof. And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest`s office. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof: it is holy, [and] it shall be holy unto you. Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people." — Exodus 30:22-33 (ASV)

Compare Exodus 37:29.

Exodus 30:23 Principal spices – that is, the best spices.

Pure myrrh – is a gum that comes from the stem of a low, thorny, ragged tree that grows in Arabia Felix and Eastern Africa, called by botanists Balsamodendron myrrha. The word here rendered pure is literally “freely flowing,” an epithet that is explained by the fact that the best myrrh is said to exude spontaneously from the bark, while that of inferior quality oozes out in greater quantity from incisions made in the bark.

Five hundred shekels – Probably more than 15 1/4 lbs. See Exodus 38:24.

Cinnamon – is obtained from a tree allied to the laurel that grows in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and other islands of the Indian Ocean, known in Botany as the Cinnamomum zeylanicum. It is the inner rind of the tree dried in the sun. It was imported from India in very early times by the people of Ophir, and brought with other spices from the south part of Arabia by the trading caravans that visited Egypt and Syria. The mention of these spices in Exodus may be taken as the earliest notice we have connected with commerce with the remote East.

Two hundred and fifty shekels – about 7 lbs. 14 oz.

Sweet calamus – The fragrant cane (or rush) was probably what is now known in India as the Lemon Grass.

Exodus 30:24 Cassia – is the inner bark of an Indian tree (Cinnamomum cassia), that differs from the tree that produces cinnamon in the shape of its leaves and some other particulars. It was probably in ancient times, as it is at present, by far less costly than cinnamon, and it may have been for this reason that it was used in double quantity.

An hin – Probably about six pints. See Leviticus 19:36.

Exodus 30:25 An oil of holy ointment – Rather, a holy anointing oil.

After the art of the apothecary – According to Jewish tradition, the essences of the spices were first extracted, and then mixed with the oil. The preparation of the anointing oil, as well as of the incense, was entrusted to Bezaleel (Exodus 37:29), and the care of preserving it to Eleazar, the son of Aaron (Numbers 4:16). In a later age, it was prepared by the sons of the priests (1 Chronicles 9:30).

Exodus 30:32 Upon man’s flesh – that is, on the persons of those who were not priests, who might employ it for such anointing as was usual on festive occasions (Psalms 104:15; Proverbs 27:9; Matthew 6:17; etc.).

Exodus 30:33 A stranger – See Exodus 29:33.

Cut off from his people – See Exodus 31:14.